This invention relates to suspension packages of the type that suspend an article within upper and lower covers, held in place by resilient suspension films.
Suspension packages of the general type described above are known to the art, as shown for example in Hojnacki, U.S. Pat. No. 5,183,159, Baillod, U.S. Pat. No. 4,491,225 (assigned to the assignee of the present invention) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,769,235 (assigned to the assignee of the present invention).
The suspension package disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,769,235 includes upper and lower generally rectangular covers. The covers are hinged together, and each supports an oval mounting ring. The mounting ring in turn supports the suspension film. In this suspension package, the mounting ring is provided with mounting legs that are latched in place in recesses of the covers. This arrangement can provide the important advantage that the suspension film is automatically tensioned when the mounting ring is secured in place in the cover. However, molding of the covers and the mounting ring is complicated by the need to form latching surfaces on the mounting ring and the covers. Also, the use of an oval mounting ring inside a rectangular cover increases the need for interior walls and thereby further increases the cost of the covers.
The present invention is directed to an improved suspension package that is well adapted to low cost fabrication techniques, and that reduces or minimizes material costs.